Now some details may have leaked out, in the form of an e-mail conversation between Tesla and the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles seen by the Reuters news service.

In those documents, Tesla sought state approval to test a prototype of its electric semi in Nevada that will contain self-driving software.

California DMV officials told Reuters they were to meet Tesla yesterday to discuss the company’s “efforts with autonomous trucks” as well.

Continental gets Nevada approval to test autonomous cars

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According to Reuters, the Tesla semi is likely to offer the capability of “platooning.”

That’s the term for automated vehicles traveling very close together at speed, which significantly cuts aerodynamic drag.

Vehicles that platoon must continually communicate with each other and the infrastructure around them, but the distances between them are far too short to allow a human driver to react in time to emergencies.